Overemployment at supermarkets

Today I was in New World (supermarket for those of you not in Godzone). As I was on my bike, I didn't want a plastic bag, I wanted to put the food in my rucksack. In fact, I almost never want a plastic bag, unless I make an impromptu visit and forget to take my own bags. But many supermarkets in NZ (New World being a prime culprit) seem to have a policy of overemployment. They have plastic bag packers on the checkout. Whenever I get to the checkout I have to tell the nice young packers that I'll pack my own bags, thank you. Otherwise I am forcibly given MORE plastic bags to add to the mountain already in the spare room. This inevitably results in the checkout packer standing around like a lemon while I pack my own bag.

The checkout packers mainly seem to be there to foist yet more plastic bags on the shopper. With checkout packers in place the default position is to give the shopper plastic bags, whereas the default position should be for shoppers to provide their own bag. New World briefly experimented with charging for plastic bags, a scheme which was presumably dropped due to public pressure. But big corporations have a duty to be environmentally responsible and the checkout packers are definitely not helping.

Another issue, though is how much supermarkets spend to keep the checkout packers - essentially a "nice to have" position - employed. It is noticeable in NZ (to someone who has lived in other countries) that commodities are expensive, even those commodities, like meat and milk products, which are produced here. It makes you wonder how much is being paid in shop overheads and how much the consumer is paying for this superfluous - and costly to the planet - service.

The flip side, of course, is that the supermarkets are providing additional employment. But on balance, I think the market could absorb those roles. It would be interesting to see if the checkout packers were made redundant (a) how many plastic bags would be saved and (b) whether commodity prices would come down at all or if New World would quietly keep them up and increase their profit margins yet more.

Do you like having the checkout packers? Or, like me, do you find them superfluous and costly both to consumer and the environment?